Custom Pottery Makes for Memorable Mother's Day Gifts

You may be going on 30 or 40, but you are never too old to craft a handmade gift for your mother.

If you are looking to do something artsy, inexpensive and utterly unique for Mother’s Day, then Manassas Clay, a pottery shop along Center Street in Old Town Manassas, may be a good place to start.

“It’s one of a kind and it can never be reproduced,” said Marie Kennedy, a mother and a volunteer at Manassas Clay.

Another gift idea is a pottery-making class; a good way to spend some time and not just money on mommy dearest.

Just one class or a block of classes can be purchased at Manassas Clay, Kennedy said.

One-on-one sessions as well as group classes are offered.

In addition to working with the potter's wheel, the studio offers hand building classes for people who have wrist or arm issues, Kennedy said.  

Classes are good for women who were once artists, but had to stop because they had children or other responsibilities that took them away from their work.

 “Sometimes when there is a divorce or a death in the family, you can really just relax, zone out and concentrate on one thing and really let your life’s worries fall away,”  Kennedy said of pottery making.

And, of course, there is always something for the grab-and-go shopper.

Manassas Clay displays ready-to-buy pieces from 30 local artists.

Gift givers can also request one of the featured artists or one of the owners—Jane Cullum or Fran Newquist—to make them a custom piece.

 The two women opened Manassas Clay more than 15 years ago at 9122 Center St. in a place that was once the home of a dime store.

What handmade gifts have you given or received for Mother's Day? Tell us in the comments.